With the first quarter of 2021 done and dusted, uncertainty remains over just how extensively the pandemic may continue to disrupt Pelikan’s operations, including their timeline of new releases.  The Petrol-Marbled M205 should be landing soon for those eager to get their next Pelikan fix.  If you were hoping for something a bit bigger, just today Pelikan has given us a glimpse of the next Maki-e release coming out of Hannover.  Meet the Maki-e Seven Treasures limited edition, the successor to 2020’s very well received Kingfisher.  Pelikan has this to say of their newest model;

“Seven Treasures are listed in the Buddhist scriptures.  The typical seven treasures are gold, silver, lapis lazuli, crystal, giant clam, coral, and agate.  The seven treasures are expressed on this Pelikan M1000 as auspicious omen motifs by drawing additional  fortunate items.  By this, the Pelikan Maki-e ‘Seven Treasures’ fountain pen is a collection of symbols which are believed to bring good fortune.”

Keeping with past trends, the Seven Treasures is once again built off of Pelikan’s flagship M1000 chassis.  Limited to just 123 pieces worldwide, this newest Maki-e release is anticipated to launch sometime in June 2021.  

Pelikan’s artists have married the traditional Japanese Togidashi-Taka-Maki-e (Burnished-Raised Maki-e), a combination of Taka-Maki-e and Togidashi-Maki-e techniques, to the German craftsmanship embodied within the company’s M1000.  Compared with other Maki-e techniques, a deeper appearing three-dimensional look is possible.  The pen’s motif depicts the seven treasures of the Buddhist scriptures including gold, silver, lapis lazuli, crystal, giant clam, coral, and agate.

• Gold is a bright, slightly reddish yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal.  Its relative rareness in the environment has made it a precious metal employed for coinage, jewelry, and art, in addition to industrial applications.
• Silver is a soft, white, lustrous transition metal that exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal.  More abundant than gold, it too is a precious metal.
• Lapis lazuli is a deep-blue metamorphic rock used as a semi-precious stone.  It is prized for its intense blue color and used in jewelry as well as the finest and most expensive blue pigments.
• Crystal has a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a lattice that extends in all directions.  It is valued for both artistic applications and its purported healing properties.
• Giant clam is considered a rare organic gem, sometimes referred to as the “jade of the sea.”  Amongst certain cultures, they are believed to be able to help ward off evil and protect the health of families.
• Red coral, scientifically referred to as Corallium rubrum, has a dark red color and lives on the rocky sea bottom.  Because of its slow growth, it is rich in nutrients, including calcium, for which it is often ground into a powder for use in oriental medicine.  It’s purported to have properties of cooling, detoxifying, sedation, and can help with the healing of injured bones.
• Agate is a rock formation consisting of chalcedony and quartz and is found in a wide variety of colors.  Agate has been used in both the arts as well as industry, valued for its appearance and intrinsic properties.

If you are familiar with the source material, you will know that the precious substances mentioned within the sutras vary among the Buddhist scriptures.  Red pearl, carnelian, amber, and ruby sometimes make the list as well, replacing some of the other treasures listed here.  Together, the seven treasures have been ascribed the powers of faith, perseverance, sense of shame, avoidance of wrongdoing, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom.  Each of the 123 fountain pens will include a limited edition number and the artist’s signature, hand painted using Maki-e techniques.

The Maki-e Seven Treasures will come with Pelikan’s standard 18C-750 two-tone gold nib in a medium width.  The pen’s furniture features a gold plated beak clip, two cap bands, two trim rings at the piston knob, and a single trim ring at the section.  The cap top displays the company’s single chick logo set upon a background that matches the pen’s overall look.  The ink view window that sits behind the section is done in a dark green tint.  Like their other releases of this type, the pen will come packaged in a traditional Japanese gift box made of paulownia wood.  Retail pricing is not yet known but anticipated to run anywhere between $4,000 and $5,500.  I’m of the opinion that the Kingfisher was one of the nicest Maki-e releases from Pelikan in the last six years.  My top three favorites out of that group would have to be the Kingfisher (2020), Five Lucky Bats (2019), and Dragonfly (2017).  The Seven Treasures looks to be another beautiful addition to this line-up and is sure to please fans of the Maki-e technique, that appeal being tempered only by the high price tag.  I don’t think that this one will be joining my flock, however, as I’m still more than satisfied with my Kingfisher.  What do you think of the Maki-e Seven Treasures fountain pen?

Maki-e M1000s, left to right: Spring & Autumn (2016), Dragonfly (2017), Peacock (2018), Five Lucky Bats (2019), Japanese Umbrella (2019), and Kingfisher (2020)